Nick M. Phillips
Latest Articles
The Purpose of a Place
CHENGDU, China—Although Chengdu is only the fourth largest city in China, and not well known in the Western world, it is at the center of the massive urbanization and modernization occurring throughout the country.
Beautiful "Kings" A Summer Delight
Jordan Vogt-Roberts builds a mildly predictable storyline into a refreshing coming-of-age comedy with wit and lovely cinematography. "Parks and Recreation" star Nick Offerman gives a standout performance.
Gun Rights Are Not Sacred
Owning a shotgun for home defense makes sense. Requiring a semi-automatic assault rifle with a 50-round magazine for hunting game does not.
The New Echo Chamber
The revolution in personal data analytics further exacerbates this problem by intentionally guiding us towards opinions that reinforce rather than challenge our biases.
Give Them a Fair Chance
As with other significant institutional changes, rational decision-making on this issue is precluded by what psychologists call loss aversion
An Exceptional American Problem
The exceptionalist opinion that America should never admit failure, never show weakness, and never give an inch breaks down negotiation processes and worsens our national image.
Ask Not What Your Vote...
The closest thing that most of us come to a sense of obligation is the somewhat common sentiment that “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.” By this logic, we are obligated to vote because voting earns us the right to whine for the next four years. This is hardly a commendable line of reasoning.
Setting the Record Straight
In a class that focuses on explaining how markets work, students will inevitably be exposed to more arguments used in favor of conservative policy than liberal policy. This apparent bias is not due to Professor Mankiw’s political leanings, but to the nature of the subject.